Pickaxe used to Destroy Trump's Hollywood Star

Stacey MasonOct 26

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Stacey MasonOct 26

Early on Wednesday morning a man took a pickaxe and sledgehammer to Donald Trump’s Hollywood star along the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was wearing construction gear so as not raise suspicion, complete with traffic cones and barriers around the star to give the impression of a legitimate work site.

His cover was quickly given away when he started hacking away at the star, managing to remove the emblem in the middle in addition to scratching out Donald Trump’s name. The star was unveiled back in 2007 for Trump’s work on the show The Apprentice.

See the video of the incident below:

Motivation for the vandalism

A Deadline Hollywood reporter happened to witness the event, and questioned the man on his motivations while he was in the middle of the act. He identified himself as James Otis, although no one is yet in custody for the vandalism. In the video captured the man talks about how he has relatives who have been sexually assaulted.

This vandalism was part of his plan to remove the star and auction it off. He would then using the money raised from its sale to help the women who have claimed they were assaulted by Donald Trump. His attempt was unsuccessful in removing the entire star, but he did manage to damage it considerably.

Reaction to its destruction

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is responsible for the stars along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and is working on fixing the vandalized star. In response to the incident they asked people to find other outlets for their frustration with those who have stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They intend to prosecute the vandal to the full extent of the law when he is caught.

When people are unhappy with one of our honorees, we would hope that they would project their anger in more positive ways than to vandalize a California state landmark. Our democracy is based on respect for the law. People can make a difference by voting and not destroying public property.
— Leron Gubler, president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce